Who was Amenhotep III? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Nebma’atre, Amenophis III, Amunhotep II and Amana-Hatpa

Died At Age: 58

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Gilukhipa, Sitamun, Tadukhipa

father: Thutmose IV

mother: Mutemwiya

siblings: Amenemhat, Amenemopet, Pyhia, Siatum, Tentamun, Tiaa

children: Akhenaten, Beketaten, Henuttaneb, Iset, Kiya, Nebetah, Sitamun, The Younger Lady, Thutmose

Born Country: Egypt

Emperors & Kings Egyptian Men

Died on: 1353 BC

place of death: Malkata, Egypt

Diseases & Disabilities: Arthritis

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Childhood & Early Life

Amenhotep III was the son of the Pharaoh Thutmose IV. His mother was Mutemwiya, a minor wife of the pharaoh. He was born around 1401 BC.

He belonged to the Thutmosid family which had ruled Egypt for a hundred and fifty years starting with the reign of Thutmose I.

Like most Egyptian kings, he was given other names such as Nebma’atre, Amenophis III, Amunhotep II and Amana-Hatpa. All the names were related to the god Amun.

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Accession

Amenhotep III ascended the throne at the young age of 12. He married Tiye during the second year of his reign. Tiye was not of a royal lineage; her father, Yuya, was an influential military commander.

Soon after their marriage, Amenhotep III gave the rank of ‘Great Royal Wife’ to Queen Tiye. His own mother had never been given this title, so Queen Tiye outranked her mother-in-law in court affairs.

Diplomatic Relations

Amenhotep III inherited a prosperous kingdom. Egypt was at its zenith in wealth, size and power. His empire stretched from the Euphrates to Sudan. Using diplomacy and intermarriage to his advantage, the pharaoh maintained Egypt’s supremacy in the region.

His reign was mostly peaceful. Egypt wielded so much power that none dared challenge her. During the fifth year of his reign, Cushites rebelled in the region of Nubia. The rebellion was quelled and peace restored.

During the 10th year of his reign, the Mitannian princess Gilukhepa arrived with 317 women. This marriage established a friendly relationship between Egypt and Mitanni which had earlier been a foe. This was the first among many such alliances.

He also married Tadukhipa, another Mitannian princess, and princesses of Babylon, Syria and Arzawa.

Correspondences from those times show how the pharaoh frequently bestowed gold and other gifts upon rulers from Hatti, Assyria, Babylon and Mitanni. Egypt was on good terms with Asia as well and trade flourished.

During Amenhotep III’s reign the military started influencing the royal line because of his marriage with Queen Tiye. The noblemen prospered during this time and their lavish tombs bear testimony to the fact.

Art & Architecture

Amenhotep III’s peaceful reign ensured that art and architecture flourished during that period. He commissioned many large buildings, temples and statues. Six hundred statues of goddess Sekhmet were installed around the temple of Mut.

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The Karnak temple complex was remodeled, new pylons were added and older ones were reconstructed. The main portions of the Luxor temple complex, including a grandiose temple dedicated to the god Amun, were built during his reign.

The mortuary temple of Amenhotep III is one of the most magnificent structures of ancient Egypt. This was the grandest mortuary temple in all of Egypt. It was 328 feet by 1968 feet in area and contained hundreds of statues and sphinxes.

Unfortunately, the mortuary temple was situated on the Nile floodplain and was destroyed by floods. Further damage was done by an earthquake and pillaging. Only two colossal statues over six-story in height remain from the grand structure.

A palace was built at Malkata for the Great Wife Queen Tiye. Records talk of a large artificial lake that was created in only 15 days. There was also a boat built for pleasure trips on the lake.

The palace at Malkata had a large artificial harbor, the Birket Habu, which linked it to the Nile. Apart from this, a large network of canals connected the palace and the mortuary temple to the temples at Luxor and Karnak.

There are 250 statues of Amenhotep III that have been discovered, making him the pharaoh with the most number of statues. Many other statues of that era have been found which feature women from the royal household.

Amenhotep III was the first pharaoh who issued commemorative scarabs for major events like royal marriages, hunting trips and construction works.

Religion

Amenhotep III made Aten, the disk of the sun god, his personal deity. It is believed that this was done to counter the influence of the priests who were as wealthy as the king and who followed the cult of Amun. The king also took on the title of ‘Aten-tjehen’ meaning ‘the Dazzling Sun Disk’.

Family & Personal life

Amenhotep III had a large harem. Apart from Tiye, he married two princesses from Mitanni, named Gilukhepa and Tadukhipa, and princesses from Babylon, Syria and Arzawa.

Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye had two sons, Thutmose and Amenhotep IV. Prince Thutmose became a priest and would have succeeded his father but passed away at a young age.

The pharaoh and his Great Wife are believed to have had four daughters: Sitamun, Isis or Iset, Henuttaneb and Nebetah. Sitamun and Isis were given the position of ‘the great royal wife’ during the final years of Amenhotep III’s reign.

Amenhotep III was a great hunter and warrior. There are many scarabs which bear testimony to over a hundred lions that the king killed during the first ten years of his reign.

Queen Tiye is depicted with Amenhotep III in many of the statues. She is shown sitting beside him on a seat of the same height as his, which represents that she was given a status equal to the king. During the last years of the pharaoh’s reign, the queen played an important role in the empire.

Amenhotep III died around 1354 BC. He had become obese, and during his last years he suffered from ill health. According to a forensic report, it was found that he had arthritis, his teeth were badly decayed and he probably was in constant pain during his final years. Queen Tiye lived on for 12 more years.

He was succeeded by his son Amenhotep IV who later took the title of Akhenaten. His reign was very different from his father’s. Tutankhamun, the most recognized pharaoh of Egypt, was Akhenaten’s son and the grandson of Amenhotep III.

Amenhotep III Biography